Description the character of (siggeir) - Essay Example

of the Character of Siggeir of the Character of Siggeir in the Poem "Beowulf" Beowulf depicts the longest and dominant Anglo-Saxon poem that survives to date. An unknown Anglo-Saxon poet composed the Beowulf. We can trace the composition of the poem, the setting, and characters to the period around 500 A.D. The characters in the poem depict the historical times and leaders from the Swedish and Danish royal families (Grummere, n.d). The poem has evolved with time where the modern version is somehow different from the first Anglo-Saxon version subject to numerous translations.

Despite being the most fundamental and original work of literature in English, Beowulf had little influence on the development of English poetry. The characters in this poem include Beowulf, Hrothgar, Siggeir, Grendel, Unferth, Wealhtheow, Hygelac, The Dragon, and Wiglaf. Siggeir who was the king of Gautland was a minor character in the poem.The poem depicts Siggeir as a treacherous, avenging, jealous, brave, and deceitful king. In the poem, we can see Signy marrying King Siggeir for political reasons.

However, the violent character of Siggeir led to troubled marriage between Signy and Siggeir. Siggeir was equally quarrelsome, unreliable, and untrustworthy and hence could not establish a happy marriage (Grummere, n.d). Moreover, his idea of marrying Signy for political reasons depicts his selfish and opportunistic character. The poem portrays him as a dangerous character that is very treacherous. Indeed, he slayed all Signy’s brothers and only spared Sigmund (Grummere, n.d). He betrayed his trust on Signy by killing her father King Völsung.

King Siggeir hatched a plan to have Signy’s family treacherously murdered. Indeed, he invited Signy’s family to a banquet after only three months in marriage where he had them attacked and killed by the Gauts. By doing this, he betrayed his marriage and Völsung clan. As such, he deceitfully invited them for a banquet to have them killed. It is also clear that Siggeir was a jealous and selfish character. We can establish his envy and desire for the Odin’s sword at the banquet. He even seeks to buy it at a higher value.

When Sigmund refuses and overpowers him in getting the sword, Siggeir treated the challenge as an offense and planned to avenge the disappointment. This defines his selfish, unstable, and jealous character. He is also untrustworthy in that he allowed his mother to turn into a wolf, which devoured Signy’s brother (Grummere, n.d). Siggeir is also a heartless character who believed in torturing and murdering innocent people as seen in how he treated Signy’s brothers. However, his treacherous, avenging, jealous, and deceitful character ended when Sigmund and Sinfjotli killed him.

Personally, I think that Siggeir was an important character in the poem Beowulf. His treacherous, avenging, jealous, and deceitful character defined a brutal and dictatorial king of the Anglo-Saxon period. His character was equally significant in developing the plot, themes, and characters in the poem. As such, although the poem has lived for long, the character of Siggeir has played a major role in restoring the poem’s significance over the years. The unknown Anglo-Saxon poet was effective in including Siggeir as a minor character in the poem, Beowulf.

ReferenceGrummere, F. (n.d). Beowulf (modern English translation). Retrieved from: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/180445